Never Knowing
by BlueMoonDog
Summary: What if Zero and Kaname had an encounter when they were young? So why doesn't Zero remember anything? And what happens when both of their pasts come back to haunt them? Kinda cliche. Kinda AU. ZeroXKaname.
1. Chapter 1

**Another story! Whoot. Okay so if you are not familiar with me, then I will say this point blank: I'm horrible when it comes to updating quickly. I hope to someday finish a story, but that proves to be kinda difficult….For me, that is.**

**But I hope you will come to enjoy the story despite this. Please tell me if you'd like to see anything added or something wasn't quite to your liking. I might try to incooperate it in future chapters.**

**Warning! This is intended to be a shounen-ai fanfic. Boys liking boys! Oh, and some mild, mild incest. If either one bothers you please, read at your own discretion. **

**Also, some mentions of violence. I'm not skilled at writing gore, so there's not much to worry about. However if just the mention of blood gets you queasy...you might not like this story about vampires. xD**

**So with that; I hope you enjoy! **

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"Are you sure Zero will be okay?" Kanna asked anxiously. The mid-twenty year old woman stood at attention on the porch of the house. It was obvious that the lady had been through some kind of conditioning or training in order to gain such a refined posture. However, her one flaw in her seemingly cool facade was the discreet twisting of hands upon the lilac apron she wore around her waist.

A dark-haired man off the foot of the porch took out the cigarette in his mouth and paused to speak.

"The kid will be fine. I've trained him for years now and taught him almost everything I know. Believe me, most hunters don't need to know half the things I do." The man spoke confidently but was not in the least arrogant. It was plain that he was simply pointing out facts.

Another man with silver hair spoke up. "I think Yagari's right, Kanna. I've seen how well Zero's been doing on one of their training sessions. He is good, really quick on his feet. He'll be fine."

Kanna looked slightly embarrassed. "I'm sure he will, Sho. It's just that he's only seven-years old..."

Sho gave a light chuckle. He didn't mean to offend his wife, but the woman worried too much over their sons.

"Honey, remember that we both started our first vampire hunting at Zero's age. Heck I'm sure Yagari did too." He glanced over towards the dark haired man for confirmation.

Touga Yagari glanced toward the younger man next to him blandly. "I was six actually."

"See? There you go." Sho pronounced, unabashed by the sarcastic tone of his long-time partner and friend.

"Alright fine, you have a point." Kanna spoke as if she was annoyed, but she wore a slight smile on her face. "Just make sure not to take any detours. Go straight to the point, bang the bloodsucker, and come back. The roast should be done when you two get back."

Sho grinned to Yagari. "She's charming no?"

Yagari stared at him.

-0-0-0

Meanwhile a little distance away was two siblings whom looked exactly the same. They both had silver hair, small physiques, and eyes the most light shade of grey. One of the boys held onto both hands of the other and spoke in a hushed sound so the adults wouldn't hear.

"Zero, do you really have to go?" Ichiru spoke sadly. He slightly clenched the palms of his hands in order to make sure his brother was still there.

"Yeah, Ichiru. But don't worry, I'll come back to you as soon as we're through. We won't be long." Zero spoke encouragingly. Gently he withdrew his right hand from Ichiru's to tenderly place on top of his twin's head. He lightly petted the silver tresses. "I'll come back to you." Zero repeated.

Ichiru looked up into his brother's eyes and gave him a sad smile. "Will you always come back to me?"

Zero paused for a moment. It was known to both of them that even now, their lives were beginning to take different courses. Here was Zero, ready to take on his first vampire mission, without his brother whom would also have been going on the trip if not for his health. Most likely Ichiru would go off to regular schooling amongst normal kids, and Zero would go to a private institution exclusively for vampire hunters. Yet despite this, both twins had vowed that they wouldn't leave each other. Zero was all Ichiru had, and until he made acquaintances of his own and could stand on his own feet emotionally without help, Zero vowed to be there for him.

"Always."

0-0-

The sounds of boots hitting snow could be heard as Zero, with embarrassment, walked behind his master.

He looked up in slight annoyance of how, his 5 foot 8 teacher with all his heavy weapons and trench coat geared down, could still manage not to make any noise as he walked on the snow.

As if hearing his thoughts, the older man broke the relative silence.

"You'll learn to walk stealthily at a later date. It's not needed when you're on your first hunting mission." Toga announced, without breaking pace.

"In fact, you'll probably not see much action. I'll be the one to be taking down the beast. It's also why it doesn't matter if you're quiet or not. What we're up against is a Level E, lowest of the low. It has no feelings or sense of self. They walk blindly into anything, which makes it easy to take them down if you have enough wit. So don't be afraid to let loose a little volume."

Toga frowned as if a sudden thought struck him.

"However if something does get out of hand, I trust you to know what to do."

He looked towards Zero who had been quietly absorbing all of what his Master was saying. However Toga noticed how Zero had a slight frown, used for whenever he didn't quite understand something.

"Then why am I here, Master, if I'm not supposed to do anything?" Zero asked.

Toga set his face into a hard stare.

"You're here to observe. Learn what really happens when you're not reading about it from a textbook, or listening to past vampire-hunting stories from your parents. This is the real deal, and it's a whole lot different to experience something when it's happening right in front of your face, than to live through it vicariously."

Zero nodded. It made sense. Surely he shouldn't have expected to be doing anything personally against a real-undead vampire. He was still only seven years old after all.

"And, what about purebloods? How much experience do you need when going up against those?"

His master went silent after that. By this point they had both stopped walking in one of the well-walked paths, with trees bowed over the path like an extended archway. Oddly Zero hadn't noticed that other than them, there was no sound around. Sure it was the dead of winter, but not even the rustling of a tree branch or scurry of a rabbit could be heard. It was as if the whole world took pause upon this breach of conversation of a taboo-like subject.

"There's never enough experience to go up against those, Zero. You know Level E's? Say they're like lions; they're quick but their too headstrong for their own good. But purebloods, they would be dragons. They are cunning, tricky, make you believe anything in order to get what they want most, and downright strong. To go up against a pureblood…you'd be stupid to fight those with a façade of thinking you might kill them unscathed. No, to kill a pureblood you need to be a pureblood. Silver might detain them for a while, but they suffer no side-effects after. Gut a hole through their stomach and they'd still be able to walk. They are immortal, but they are the most unfeeling of them all. They have logic, beauty, and strength. Some even have 'special' skills, the freaks. If you ever see one, run away. There isn't any shame on being smart and living another day."

He turned to Zero who was trying his best not to look horrified. Sure he had heard stories about purebloods, but to hear it from his Master, who was barely afraid of anything, to state it so calmly, as if he had faced numerous numbers of the things and was loathe to do so ever again…as much as he hated to admit, it made Zero fear them.

He slightly jumped when he felt his Master gruffly give a pat on his shoulder.

"Hey brat. Don't worry. We're just fighting Level E's. You'll probably never have to see one of those upper-class fiends."

Zero blinked as he realized that his Master was giving his own stoic version of comfort. He nodded to him. A word of gratitude for the nice action was left unsaid.

A noise ripped through the air. It was so sudden and piercing to the contradiction of the still quietness of before, that Zero desperately wanted to clutch his hands around his abused ears. However he restrained himself in order to watch as his Master quickly retract his hand, unholster the Bloody Rose gun from his right hip, and swiftly motion to Zero to follow as he broke into a swift pace, making a beeline off the path through the foliage of the surrounding trees, towards where the sound generated.

Literally Zero had to run in order to catch up to his Master, trying to ignore the random scratches on his cheeks and unclothed pieces of skin being made by the rightly positioned branch of a bush or small tree. Looking around, Zero warranted himself lucky that his Master's hair was so dark, for if not for that, he'd be lost in this miniature jungle.

After about 5 minutes, which seemed much longer, they made it to a clearing of what appeared to be the plantation of a rich owner. Surely enough was a stately mansion nestled in the middle of the snow covered field, with numerous windows and architecture of styles dating back centuries ago. However the scene was abruptly halted before it really began.

Dozens upon dozens of dead bodies were strewn across the near entrance of the house. Most of the humanoid figures had mouths agape, ligaments either missing or barely attached, waves of blood splattered near their frames or on them, and the points of their sharpened teeth glistened in the morning sun.

All of them. All of them were vampires.

Zero slowly registered this fact despite being sickenly mesmerized by such carnage. It was too horrific to see, too horrific not to look away.

"Zero, I want you to stay here." His Master all but whispered. There was no sign of movement ahead, but it didn't mean that there still weren't some survivors.

Before he could truly protest on being left behind, Zero saw his Master leave to slowly inspect the bodies on the ground before heading inside the house.

Like before there was nothing but quiet. Zero slowly sunk down into the biting, cold snow. It was quiet and he was alone, in the cold, in front of a field of dead bloody bodies.

His breathing slightly increased, and his heart started beating faster. So this was what a hunter dealt with daily. Fighting vampires, killing them. But did they have to resemble humans so much that they bled when they were hit, were motionless in their 'second' death? For the first time, Zero began to seriously doubt if he could ever get used to this part of a hunter's job.

He looked to the field again. Same unmoving bodies. They would never prey upon innocents again. He should be happy.

Zero shook his head. He needed to leave. He needed air. Clean air. Air that wasn't stained with the smell of blood and snow.

Slowly he got up. He didn't want to frazzle his already shaken nerves by getting up too fast and getting a blood rush to the head.

Once standing he slowly moved to go back into the forest. He wasn't going to go in too far, he just needed to go anywhere that would not face the house or what was littered on its lawn.

The light crunch of snow alerted Zero immediately. In the blink of an eye he had unlatched his long, silver coating, anti-vampire pole and firmly held onto the shaft with both hands.

He had expected a deranged Level E vampire who was not quite dead. He had horrifiedly wondered if said vampire had blood covered on them, either another vampires' or their own. He worriedly hoped his Master was all right, and was just taking a thorough scan through the inside of the mansion.

He sincerely hoped this wouldn't be his first and last mission as a vampire hunter.

What really appeared made him pause.

A boy, about a year younger than Zero, with dark silky locks and auburn glazed eyes looked up to him as he clutched to the nearby tree. His mouth was slightly open and was breathing a little irregularly. The boy looked as if he had been on a mile's run, or worse, had just come from whatever madness occurred here.

However Zero had no further time for speculation as the boy fainted into the snow. All the while the blood on his clothes seeped into the pale whiteness. Forever staining it.

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**I would've wrote more, but this seems like as good of point as any to stop. Plus, I want to know what you guys think about it before I continue. Hopefully you liked it, but it's okay if you don't.**

**Thank you very much for reading! I hope to get the next chapter out soon. Possibly…Maybe. ^_^''**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow! I'm so thrilled that the first chapter got such great and positive reviews! I'm really happy, but I won't lie in saying I'm not worried that I won't be able to live up to expectations. But I shall try my best! **

**Few things to clarify:**

**-I plan Zero to be the seme in the relationship, but if you want I could have Kaname be seme at some points too. I'm game, I just need to be told.**

**-In the upcoming chapters I'll try my best to explain about the age differences**

Warnings:** this story contains shonen-ai (boys liking boys), SPOILERS!! (Yuki's involvement with Kaname), mentions of violence, slight angst, and some incest. If any disturbs you, I suggest to stop reading or tread these waters at your own risk!**

**Disclaimer: I am not in anyway affiliated to the creator of Vampire Knight…I just want to manipulate the stories and characters. xD**

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From Chapter 1:

_However Zero had no further time for speculation as the boy fainted into the snow. All the while the blood on his clothes seeped into the pale whiteness. Forever staining it._

_-0-0-0-0-0-0-0_

_Chapter 2_

It took a total of five seconds for Zero to finally mobilize. He blamed his dull reaction to the fact of all that had happened in a matter of hours.

But he discarded his thoughts quickly as he left to the fallen boy's side. Crouching low he gently grasped his hands under the boy, in order to roll him over.

Once the procedure was done, he started to inspect the other. Like before he could see the splotches of blood all around the boy's dull brown, wool-collared coat. Was that cashmere? Surely not, it was expensive material. Unless, maybe, this boy came from the mansion? It would make sense, for what would a child be doing out here, if not living in the house. He resolved that he would ask the boy about it, once the time was appropriate enough.

With that in mind he looked away from his body and to the boy's face.

His eyes were closed and his brown eyebrows were furrowed, as if the boy was in mild pain. Oddly enough, Zero was worried about that thought. He didn't want this stranger to be hurt, even though he had no idea why. Other than his family and Master, he didn't particularly care about anyone else. Although the fact that he wasn't in much contact with anyone else could've explained it.

But why was he here, disregarding most of his basic teachings on how to properly act around strangers, and currently talking to the kid?

"Hey, I'm here to help you. My name's Zero. I need to take off your coat to make sure you're not hurt."

Zero didn't anticipate a response from the kid, and sure enough, wasn't given one.

Reaching out he started on the first button on the top of the boy's coat. Nimbly he felt his fingers clasp around the cold plastic and pulled it from its woolen slot.

Zero glanced up to the boy's face. Like the coat, there were distinct pinpricks of red liquid on his face, like rain was splattered on him. However it was obvious that it was anything but red colored water.

The vampire hunter-in training looked down as he realized that he had finished unbuttoning the coat. A particular nasty wind blew straight into his face, making him close his eyes against the cold on reflex. He felt more than saw as the other boy beneath him shivered slightly. Opening his eyes Zero decided to quickly inspect the kid so that he could put the other's coat back on.

'_Yeah Zero, wouldn't it be embarrassing to have your first patient get a cold because of you? And I was so looking forward to being a doctor when I grow up.' _Zero thought sarcastically to himself.

Zero started when he heard a slight chuckle come from the boy. He glanced down to the boy shocked, if not embarrassed, to see the boy with a smile on his face.

"And what do you find so funny? I see nothing funny about you being injured." Zero asked trying to erase his embarrassed feeling that the boy may be laughing at him.

However Zero immediately regretted himself saying anything. The boy's smile quickly faded, leaving Zero with a strong wish to see it again.

The boy's eyes opened to reveal deep dark red irises, almost burgundy in color. He glanced up to the boy above him calmly.

"I am sorry. You are right Zero-san. There is nothing humorous in the situation at all. No…not at all." The boy's head turned towards the snow covered ground. Burgundy eyes closed in a manner of utter defeat and sadness.

Zero looked on baffled that his words took such effect on the other. He was always a person to be direct and concise, but he gathered from other people that his words came out uncaring and insensitive. Yet that's just who he was and usually Zero could care less if it hurt someone or not, whether it was his intention to do so or not.

However, seeing how this boy was deflating fast in front of him made Zero want to speak carefully to him so that he wouldn't grow more depressed. Zero assumed that this was someone who was referred to as 'fragile'.

The silver-haired boy gave a slight cough. "Um, it's okay. You can laugh or whatever, I just felt like you were laughing at me…And just call me Zero. I'm barely older than you anyways." He laughed uncertainly.

Zero's eyes widened. Did he seriously just laugh at his own statement? Sure he wanted to coerce the boy to break out of his mini-depression but did he really just laugh like a girl who constantly needed to laugh after each sentence? Oh he hoped not or his Master would certainly never let him hear the end of it!

The other boy looked on in amusement as various looks of horror crossed Zero's face after his speech. He didn't know if it was the other boy's intention or not, but Zero's honesty of showing such emotions on his face made him recover from his temporary lapse into sadness. However long it lasted was uncertain, but the momentary respite made him very grateful to Zero.

"Alright then, Zero. Fair enough. My name is Kaname. I'm glad to meet you." Kaname said honestly.

Zero quickly stopped his horrified thoughts of his mother being thrilled to dress him up in dresses since he was turning into a girl, in order to look at the boy named Kaname. For a moment he didn't know what to say, and still didn't when he opened his mouth to give some sort of response.

"Kaname…I know a Kaname. She's a girl though and is highly annoying. She always wants me to play dolls with her." Zero spoke as he mentally recoiled at his words. What had possessed him to say such a weird thing? Sure, he did know a girl named Kaname but to relay such information to a stranger? What has gotten into him?

Kaname's eyes widened slightly at how honest Zero was. No one his age or older was ever so open with him; they all blindly followed him due to his heritage. And with the fear of his or his family's wrath they never spoke a word against him. No matter how much Kaname longed to have a true friend to make jokes with and felt free to speak anything on his mind to, he wasn't allowed one. It simply wasn't in his 'station' to have such 'meaningless associates'. Instead he got 'servants, a much better choice that would always remain loyal and submissive.'

Kaname regarded the boy in front of him. Never in his life was there someone who spoke genuinely, who wasn't afraid to rebuke him or speak personally to. Perhaps Zero was the person he always longed for.

Zero grew uneasy as Kaname had yet to say anything. Maybe he was being too informal as far as strangers who just met went. Resolved to quickly take back what he said, he was interrupted by the other boy's reply.

"Hmm. Well I can assure you Zero that I am not a girl…And I promise not to force you to play dolls. Regretfully I do not have any besides." Kaname spoke naturally and blank faced.

Zero however, being a master of sarcasm for his age, couldn't help but laugh.

"Aw, that's too bad. And here I am, an expert at playing dolls. I'll have you know I can play the role of 'Miss Sally' very well." The vampire hunter responded as he pitched his voice slightly higher at the mention of his character's name.

Kaname gave a slight chuckle in turn. "I can see that you are very skilled in the 'doll playing' arts. Perhaps if I got my sister's dolls we could…" The boy halted his sentence immediately. His face lost all signs of merriment to be left stricken with sadness and fear.

Before Zero could ponder this sudden development, Kaname quickly got up from the snow and stood.

In the back of his head, Zero wondered how Kaname could get up so fast and not experience any dizziness, but quickly left the thought.

"Hey what's wrong? And you shouldn't move! You could be hurt…" Zero's words drifted, as he realized that he had completely forgotten about examining Kaname. He just assumed that the boy was unharmed because he didn't seem like he was in pain, but Kaname could've been fighting off the pain too.

Zero blinked as another gust of wind blew towards them. Unfortunately the overwhelming smell of iron quickly filled their olfactory senses. Zero was repulsed by the scent and covered his nose. However he didn't see the other boy close his eyes and gave a tentative sniff of the air.

Kaname's eyes opened wide as he realized what he was doing. He knew it was in his nature to love the smell of blood, regardless of what kind of scum the blood came from…That thought was enough to break him from going into a blood-lust state, and thankfully would've stopped his eyes descending into its bright red state. However in exchange, his thoughts took a more depressing course. He thought on how all these vampires on the ground were traitors to their hierarchy. But even more so they destroyed his life. They took away his family.

A tear, unbidden, slipped from one of his lids. Kaname irritably wiped his hand against his leaking eye. He swore to himself that he wouldn't mourn for his family out in the open, even if he had grown to like Zero.

At the thought of Zero the vampire looked to him sadly. He was sure that Zero could've been the companion he longed for, his best friend. However his scent did not lie; he was a human. And humans don't become friends with beings that could easily, and gladly, kill them. Even now the smell of Zero's blood was tantalizing. Before, the overwhelming smell of blood from all the vampire bodies had all but covered Zero's smell. But now, after being so close to him and actually being amiable towards him, his smell was all he cared about.

"Kaname look! The bodies…" Zero spoke in surprise and wariness.

Kaname followed Zero's train of sight towards his house. Indeed, on the snow covered yard, one by one the vampire's bodies were fading away. Although it would be more accurate to say that their bodies were reverting to dust, and the particles that were once their bodies were being scattered by the chilled breeze.

Kaname had been told of this process of death for his kind from his parents, although fortunately he was sheltered enough to never have seen the actual thing playing out. But he knew that his 'sheltered' lifestyle was long gone now. As the last of his family line, he had to pick up the duties set out for him. And just as this duty came with great responsibilities, it brought even more enemies.

Even now there was a chance that he was being watched. No doubt the events of the morn were reported to the Vampire Council and thus they would send 'messengers' to scout the perimeter, if not already. However Kaname knew this was a farce; their true goal would be to capture him. But he wouldn't be dragged anywhere, his proud line wouldn't allow him to be. He will enter the fray on his own.

Kaname looked to the boy standing at his left. He watched with slight amusement that the boy had his mouth slightly open, eyes still transfixed on the now body-less ground. Zero was completely honest and pure. He shouldn't taint the boy any more than he probably already has.

He stared at the boy until Zero looked at him.

Zero blinked and slightly cocked his head to the side at the boy's continued silence. "Kaname?" he asked aloud. '_What's wrong?'_

Kaname heard Zero's question and forced a slight smile on. He wanted this to be quick and painless, but he also didn't want to hurt the other.

"I have to go now, Zero. I appreciate your kindness today, but I'm needed elsewhere." Kaname spoke easily, but he felt a sort of lump form in his throat. He knew he didn't want to leave or say good-bye, but no, he wasn't allowed this happiness. Not now. Probably never.

Zero took in Kaname's stance. He sounded and looked alright, but why was it that when he looked in the other's eyes he could see a deep sadness?

"So…this is good-bye. I hope you have a good life Zero." Kaname ended. '_Because I won't.'_

Not wanting to prolong the inevitable any longer, Kaname turned from Zero and started walking towards the woods. Once he was out of sight, he would use his enhanced speed to escape this place faster. He didn't know if Zero knew about vampires, thus he didn't want to scar him by displaying his abilities.

He listened as his feet made crunching noises with the snow underneath. Kaname concentrated on that noise so he wouldn't look behind him. He was just at the edge of the woods when he felt his right arm being gently restrained.

Burgundy eyes traveled down to his captured arm and then up towards his captor. He was transfixed on Zero's silver eyes that seemed to hold an emotion he didn't recognize.

"Kaname what's going on? Why do you have to leave? Listen, me and my Master can take you where you need to go. So...don't leave." Zero rushed out. He didn't know what came over him to actually end his usual phobia of touching people, by physically stopping Kaname. But he did know that he didn't want Kaname to leave when he seemed so…defeated.

Kaname glanced at Zero with pain. How much did he wish that he could follow Zero's wishes and abandon all his obligations to actually be happy again. The answer was that he'd give anything. Anything to believe that his life wasn't in chaos and he still had a home and family. But reality was cruel, and he suspected that he now had to be cruel to Zero in order to protect him.

The dark-haired boy took an uneasy breath and then brought his head up. He took in Zero's appearance as the other visibly stiffened and felt as the grip on his arm grew immediately slack.

Silver eyes took in the features of Kaname's face. Gone were the sad eyes and uneasy smile, and were now replaced by glaring bright red irises and two sharpened canines that were longer and more pointed than any humans. Numbly he realized what all previous clues would've shown. Kaname was a vampire.

"Vampire." Zero muttered without realizing.

Kaname watched with sad eyes as Zero mentally withdrew from him. He had to remind himself that it was good that Zero knew the facts and could thus accept their parting. Gently he disengaged the other's hand from his jacket sleeve, where it had lightly clung unto. Once he was free he looked to Zero and saw that he looked like he had nothing to say. Taking this as a good time to leave Kaname turned around once again.

And once again he was surprised, if not even more, that his arm was once again grabbed. He turned to Zero in utter confusion. Did he have to explain that vampires killed humans too? Because Zero was blatantly going against all human instincts to stay away from him and insisted to latch upon his mortal enemy.

"Kaname." Zero started with determination, although Kaname could see that he was also hesitant. The vampire acknowledged that Zero had something important to say and thus nodded for him to continue. Zero looked at Kaname and then began again.

"I just have to say that I'm glad you told me what you are. So I'm going to tell you what I am. I'm a vampire hunter, and I'm actually here on my first mission." Zero watched as Kaname's eyes widened a fraction in surprise but didn't look like he was afraid. As a hunter he felt slightly chagrined that he was so assured that Zero wasn't going to hurt him. But Zero knew that Kaname wouldn't harm him either, so it appeased him a little. "But you know that I won't hurt you. Which is also why I won't tell my Master about you. But just answer me this, what happened here? Do you live in that house?"

Kaname closed his eyes at the end of Zero's little speech. He honestly didn't want to voice the decimation of his life so early, but he supposed as a courtesy to Zero's openness, he would offer some answers.

"Before today I did live in that house. This morning changed that fact. About three hours ago my family was attacked by all those vampires you saw on the ground. They were lead by a mighty vampire named Rido Kuran, whose sole wish was to destroy us. My father went outside to fight off him and the other vampires. I was told to protect my mother and sister inside the house. I wanted to fight but my father wouldn't hear it. So I went with them. We waited for what felt like an eternity to hear from my dad. But when the door opened, it wasn't my dad. It was Rido."

Kaname paused as he tried to sort his memory of the events that happened just hours ago. He remembered how his mother told him to run as she clutched a frightened Yuki in her arms. He disregarded her and tried to fight Rido himself, but was surprised when he was thrown to the wall and was knocked out. Once he came to, he saw his mother on the ground a short distance away from Yuki's still body. He recognized that Rido was gone, but all that he thought about was how his mother was dead as he witnessed the blood dripped from the creases of her closed mouth. In terror he inspected his sister quickly but was in vain to find any beat of heart from her. He didn't remember what he exactly did next, until in his mounting misery he discovered a slight trace of an infectious aroma outside. He latched onto that scent, grateful to have anything distract him from his personal trauma. And, as if by fate, that source of respite came in the form of Zero. He had a slightly bloody cheek, which was probably the reason for the wonderful smell, and seemed ready to attack him, but Kaname didn't care. He looked like an angel with his silver hair and eyes, and even a monster like him was entranced. By then the impact of all that had happened rushed to him and he had easily given into oblivion.

"What happened to them?"

Kaname abruptly left his musings and looked back to Zero.

"…I don't exactly know how it happened, but I know they're all dead. And Rido is gone…to where I also don't know." Kaname offered, bitter at the fact that he didn't know a lot of things.

"Kaname…I…I'm really sorry about your family." Zero offered with sincerity. Kaname gave a slight nod to him in thanks. "What were their names? If you don't mind me asking."

Kaname looked at Zero in slight wonder. Despite him being a vampire and he a human, Zero took a genuine concern and interest in him. Kaname thought humorously that he would probably give Zero anything now, as long as he continued to gaze at him with such kindness.

"Not at all Zero. My father's name was Haruka Kuran. My mother was named Juuri Kuran." Kaname spoke with a sad smile.

"And your sister...Kaname?" Zero asked gently.

The vampire smiled with such tenderness that Zero's heart gave a lurch. He didn't even know the girl, but with Kaname's blatant fondness, it made Zero care about and love this unknown girl as well.

"Yuki." He said.

Zero nodded in solemn appreciation while storing the name 'Yuki' in the back of his mind. He willed himself not to forget about the word, as well as her brother Kaname.

Kaname gave a slight exhale of air. Today had been the most taxing day of his life and he knew it would only grow more so when he met with the council where his fate would be sealed. However his redemption of the day came from his meeting of Zero. He truly did hope the young hunter's life went well.

"I should be going Zero." Kaname spoke with a sad smile.

Zero looked at Kaname sadly, but then gave a confident smile. "Okay _Kuran_, I'll let you go. But you have to promise to visit me again." He smirked as Kaname looked slightly shocked but quickly quirked a smile of his own.

"Alright you're on….Mr..?" Kaname asked.

"Kiryu, my good man." Zero spoke good-naturedly.

"Alright then _Kiryu._ It's a deal."

Zero smiled and stuck his hand out for Kaname. Kaname glanced at the offered appendage and grasped it with his own. They both smiled liked old-time pals, rather than two unlikely strangers who met under terrible circumstances but had quickly formed an easy alliance.

And then after they departed, Zero watched in awe as he saw Kaname for one second, but in the next was gone. He deduced that it must be part of the enhancements vampires had.

"Show off!" yelled Zero towards the general direction of the forest. He knew that Kaname had probably heard him and slightly wondered if the slight warmth in his chest was the vampire's response. Yep, things would be all right Zero decided.

"Zero." A deep voice cut through the air.

The silver haired hunter looked behind him to see his Master looking at him with a slightly lifted eyebrow, probably wondering if his student went crazy on him.

"Master." Zero answered obediently, trying to erase his previous act of childishness. What made him yell out again? Oh yeah, Kaname.

He looked up at Yagari with slight apprehension. He had told Kaname that he wouldn't tell his Master about him, but this was a man that he idolized and respected. He wasn't exactly confident that he could lie to him now that he was there in front of him.

Luckily Zero didn't have to do so, as the older man continued.

"You okay kid? I trust you understand that I couldn't have you enter an unsecured area. I wouldn't have risked it." Yagari said.

Zero felt a warmth at the knowledge that his Master cared for him. Without really thinking about, he was about to say something probably mushy until his master spoke again.

"I wouldn't risk having your mother shoot me if you were to goof up and hurt yourself. Your mother is a scary woman when enraged."

Zero felt slightly put off by the statement, but then figured it was for the best. He wouldn't want to deal with the awkwardness if he had said something 'unmanly' to his 'manly' instructor anyways. With that resolution he looked back to his master. However, Zero's attention became quickly drawn to the odd-shaped bundle of some sort nestled in his right arm.

Yagari looked at Zero and saw that he was looking at his 'package' in the crook of his arm.

"Hmm I found her in the house. She didn't look alive but sure enough, she had a slight pulse and heartbeat. Don't know if they want another brat, but it wouldn't hurt to show her to your parents."

At this point Yagari had knelt in front of his student and had pulled back the makeshift blanket off of a little girl. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was slightly open, making it easy to tell she was deeply asleep. Dark brown hair trailed behind her face, although a few strands managed to fall in front of her eyelids and nose. Yagari gently tried to push back the hair behind the girl's ears, but the hair seemed determined to shift back to their original position. Zero heard his Master mutter about getting the girl a hair band but otherwise ignored him.

He knew he couldn't be one hundred percent sure that this was the girl Kaname was talking about without evidence…but no matter what he thought otherwise, he was not wavered from his conviction. He knew from the slight stirring of his heart who this girl was. It was Yuki Kuran.

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**There you have it: the second chapter! Hopefully this was up to par with the first chapter and you enjoyed it. But if you didn't that's okay: tell me all about it in a review!**

**Thanks for reading, love you guys! (Happy V day/ 'Single Awareness Day)**


	3. Chapter 3

So here's Chapter 3 for you guys! Really, you all are so great and I'm thankful to everyone who has reviewed this story. Please continue to do so!

**Warnings:** This is a shonen-ai/yaoi/boys-liking-eachother story. Slight drama and angst ahead. Other than that I think this story is pretty clean.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Vampire Knight or any of its characters…I simply want to rewrite the story and cause havoc. xD

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From Chapter 2:

_He knew he couldn't be one hundred percent sure that this was the girl Kaname was talking about without evidence…but no matter what he thought otherwise, he was not wavered from his conviction. He knew from the slight stirring of his heart who this girl was. It was Yuki Kuran._

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Zero deftly opened the front door to his house for his Master. Later he would realize that he didn't remember opening the door, much less the silent walk back to the house. His mind was still reeling over past events.

He had met a delicate and dark haired boy named Kaname, whom he also practiced playing doctor on. He had left just as fast as he came into Zero's life. But even though his physical self wasn't present, it didn't mean that Kaname wasn't the most tangible and foremost thought on the hunter-in-training's mind.

Zero didn't want to admit that the boy had so easily gripped at him. After seven years of not having the need to interact much with others, he could not have all of a sudden grown this strong of a bond with someone with mesmerizing, inhuman red eyes.

'_Vampire eyes_.' Zero corrected himself. Indeed the one person who he'd probably get along with was someone he shouldn't be anywhere near. He didn't even entertain the fact that it was in his blood and lineage to destroy those like Kaname.

Zero blinked as he felt someone crash into him. He felt arms immediately encircle his upper back, and was tugged more fully onto the other body.

"Hey Ichiru." Zero said gently, trying his best not to sound melancholic. He returned the hug to his twin brother and waited for Ichiru to release him.

But the other didn't let go. Zero looked on as Ichiru had his face buried in his left shoulder.

"I was worried." Ichiru spoke, voice muffled by the winter coat Zero still had on. "I couldn't stop thinking about what could have happened to you."

"But I am alright Ichiru. You shouldn't worry about me." Zero spoke honestly.

"hmm." Ichiru lifted his face from his brother's shoulder to stare into familiar silver eyes. Ichiru narrowed his eyes, and Zero couldn't fathom of what the other saw to cause him to release Zero and take a step back.

Zero gave a worried frown. "Ichiru?"

Ichiru stared for another moment until he suddenly gave a bright smile. Zero didn't know why, but that smile made him anything but easy.

"You're right, Zero." Ichiru spoke smiling. "Why should I worry? You're _you_. You always do things better than me. You never get injuries while we're training. You never have to do something twice because Master Yagari wasn't satisfied…You're nothing like me. Why should vampire hunting be any different for the perfect son…? "

Zero frowned at his sibling. "Ichiru, what are you talking about? I'm not perfect, I still make mistakes. And stop putting yourself down! There are tons of things that you can do, that I'm horrible at. Besides…I didn't even do anything on the trip."

Ichiru ignored his brother's words and only commented on the last bit. "You didn't do anything?" he repeated, as if he didn't believe it.

Zero nodded. "Yeah, Master did everything."

Zero watched with relief as the skeptical look washed from his brother's face. In its place was a troubled curiosity.

"So then…what did you do?" Ichiru asked.

"Oh I-" Zero paused, not knowing how to continue. He was about to say that he had met Kaname, but for some strange reason he didn't want his brother to know about him. He guessed it was because Kaname was a vampire and Ichiru might tell their parents. It wasn't that Ichiru ratted him out to their parents, it's just that sometimes his brother wasn't aware to speak discreetly about the secret. Their father was allergic to pet fur, so when Zero had found a stray cat and stored it in the family shed he told Ichiru about it because he felt bad about leaving his brother in the dark. However at dinner that night Ichiru let slip that he should feed his scraps of chicken to 'it'. By then it had peaked his parents' interest, and needless to say they got the truth out of him and they had to let the cat go. Zero was sure Ichiru was sorry about it, but he learned not to always confide in his brother if his secret was something his parents didn't need to know. And Kaname was surely a subject his parents needn't know.

Yep, it had nothing to do with the fact that he felt a tinsy bit of possession towards his friendship with Kaname and he didn't want to share. Nope, not at all.

"I sat outside as Master investigated a mansion." Zero said nonchalantly, as if he didn't take a suspicious pause before.

Ichiru's eyes widened. "A mansion? I thought you were supposed to go to an abandoned hut in the forest to kill the Level E vampire."

Zero nodded. "That's how it was supposed to happen. But we heard this strange noise and we had to investigate it. What we found was the mansion…and…there were…."the boy resisted the urge to wince, with the horrific image all to clear in his head. "There were dead bodies of vampires. Everywhere. A great battle must've been fought."

"Oh wow…That's so cool Zero! I wish I was there to see it." Ichiru spoke with fascination in his silver eyes.

Zero blinked at the blasé reply. He was starting to think that his brother was crazy to think such a sight would be 'cool' until he came to reality. For most boys their age, any mention of violence fascinated them. Lucky for them though that most boys didn't have this type of childhood, going up against beasties and training to be murderers. However, Zero conceded that Ichiru was still innocent on seeing the horror of their clan's occupation. Those adult rated action films their father let them watch in secret might have encouraged that boyish fascination in his brother as well.

"Uh, yeah. It was…cool." Zero spoke, not once thinking it was interesting. The sight of those vampires had scarred him. In fact he would'nt be surprised if he saw them in his dreams when he went to bed that night.

Zero shuffled his feet. On that cheery thought, he couldn't think of what else to say.

Luckily the awkwardness for Zero was dissolved as their mom called for them to enter the living room.

The Kiryu living room was surrounded with deep red wallpaper. Essentially, their house was a good sized log cabin that accommodated well to the four-member family. The floors were wooden, with miscellaneous sheets of plush white carpet laying around for comfort and visual appeal. Much of the furniture they had was wooden. They ranged from dark wood, mahogany, to painted white wood. To Zero's chagrin, his dad was a hunter who liked to display his trophies. Such taxidermy was mounted on the main wall of the living room above the fireplace, and coincidentally was the first things you saw when you passed the room. More than once had Zero blinked in surprise when he saw the beaded eyes of an exceptionally large deer head peering down at him.

If it weren't for the fact that his family had installed indoor plumbing, electricity, running water, had a working heater and AC unit, and were the owners of a television set (with cable) Zero would've felt like he was living in the boonies of Japan.

Zero looked away from the beheaded deer on the wall with disdain to catch the last bit of conversation his father and Master were having.

"-believe, we weren't notified. It looked like a war between vampires was unleashed back there." Yagari said tersely.

A short distance away Zero's father had his eyes closed and was shaking his head. "Toga I'm sure there's a good reason we weren't told. The Alliance obviously had it under control."

"Don't feed me that bull Sho. The Alliance may have had it under control because they didn't do anything. No one was investigating the area when we got there. Who knows what those vampires could've done if they weren't all killed. And what about the thing that killed _them_? How are you so sure that your family would be protected? That mansion wasn't so long a way from here. They would've come here first."

Sho was about to open his mouth to give his retort, until Zero's mother spoke up.

"Now boys, enough. I hadn't realized you two were not finished with your conversation. If I knew, I wouldn't have called the children in here." Kanna admonished from her place in the doorway between the living room and kitchen.

"hmpfh. If you ask me both Zero and Ichiru have the right to know if their lives are in danger." Yagari muttered darkly. However after receiving a warning glare from the mistress of the house he remained silent as he took a seat at one of the single sofa couches.

Kanna relaxed her gaze once she realized that she had won that particular battle. She then glanced down to her twin sons and couldn't help but give a smile. "Hey guys, what do you think of this little girl?" Kanna gestured toward the sleeping girl on the two-seater couch.

Zero stared to his right to the mentioned couch. He saw that the girl, who he thought was quickly becoming familiar to him, was still soundly sleeping. She still had the coat on when Master Yagari found her, but he noted that she was presently wrapped in his old baby blanket and had her shoes taken off. Or was she wearing boots in the first place? He couldn't remember.

Zero became aware of the fact that he had moved to the foot of the couch, directly in front of the girl's face. He took a step back in order to let the girl have some breathing room but came into contact with his mother's leg. He looked up to Kanna's face and blinked, like the silly child he tried not to be.

Kanna smiled down to Zero. "She's cute huh? I'm still surprised on why such a cute girl was left alone in that mansion."

Zero looked to his right to see Ichiru give a slight nod of the head. But other than that movement, he seemed to be frozen to the spot, his gaze fixed on the slumbering girl Yuki. He would've teased his brother if this was any other girl. He had a fascination with Yuki too, but unlike his brother, Zero wasn't captivated by the girl herself. She was mesmerizing, undoubtedly, but Zero guessed it was her relation to the boy he found fascinating the reason for his awe.

Zero shook his head. He'd probably never even see Kaname again. Sure they had promised before they parted that they would meet again someday, but Zero was more inclined to take faith in the fundamentals of reality. In reality, when friends part, most often times they never meet again. And promises were sometimes too impossible to hold.

But there was still Yuki…What was there to do about her? Right now her brother believed her to be dead, where the contrary resided in the slight noises of breathing from the sleeping girl. He had to see Kaname again. If not for his own selfish desire to see the boy, then to reunite the dark haired siblings again. It was the least he could do for his friend.

And yet, now that he had a drive to do the inevitable…he had to come up with a plan to accomplish that inevitable. If Zero was alone he would have groaned in dismay at the mental labor he was about to go through.

"What's her name, I wonder?" Kanna mused aloud. Apparently she was still going on and on about the girl on her couch. Zero supposed he couldn't blame her, she had always had her sights on a daughter to play dress up on. Perhaps her wish would be granted, if Zero wasn't mistaken by that rare twinkle in his mother's usually serious silver eyes.

"Yuki." Zero said. And like everyone else in the room, he was surprised by the words he spoke.

He looked up to see his mother stare at him with bewilderment. "Yuki? Is that her name?"

"How do you know that Zero?" Sho asked with a slight frown.

Crap, crap, crap! Zero thought panicked. How was he supposed to explain how he knew her name? Not the truth definitely. Okay, he had evaded his brother and Master from finding out about Kaname. If he could evade those two who were closest to him, he could surely allude his parents with a quick fib.

"It says her name on the inside of her coat." Zero said calmly. On the inside he congratulated himself on the very plausible explanation.

"huh." Sho said after a minute of silence. Zero didn't realize that he visibly relaxed when his father went back down to seat in his reclining sofa chair.

"Yuki…Yuki…'Snow'..." Kanna said, testing out the name on her tongue. "Short and sweet. Of course it's only fitting that this child's name be snow when we found her in winter." His mother spoke approvingly.

"Yeah. Like Fate." Sho pitched in with a smile.

Kanna looked to her husband and gave him a slight frown. "No Sho, not Fate. There is no such thing as Fate…there is only inevitability". She corrected like a professor would to their clueless pupil.

"Oh boy." Yagari spoke under his breath. Kanna didn't appear to have heard him.

Zero looked on as the adults interacted. Bored, he looked to his right to find that his brother had gently pulled the lapel of Yuki's coat and was inspecting it critically.

"Ichiru…What are you doing?" Zero asked, lowering his voice so that the adults didn't hear.

Ichiru stared at no specific spot on the coat until he raised his gaze to Zero's. Zero looked on in confusion as his brother retracted his hand from Yuki's opened palm. How long had Ichiru been holding her hand? And what for?

"There's no name on the inside of her coat Zero." Ichiru spoke, with equal volume to his brother.

Zero cursed his brother's perception of detail and persistence. And he said he didn't have skills!

Ichiru took a step away from his current position and approached Zero.

Zero remained where he was, but he felt slightly unease. '_Why do I feel this way? It's just Ichiru, my brother. I was never…wary of him before now. There's nothing to fear from him.'_ Zero thought reasonably.

Ichiru narrowed his eyes. Zero once again tried to crush the irrational feeling in his gut, and now an unreasonable urge to narrow his eyes too.

"How do you know her name, brother?" Ichiru asked tilting his head slightly, a slight smile present. His actions were friendly, but the gaze of his eyes were cold…

"Lucky guess." Zero answered neutrally. "Who knows? It might not even be her name, I just spoke without thinking." Which wasn't that far of the truth anyway, he didn't knew he would speak aloud her name when he did.

"I don't believe you." Ichiru responded.

"That's your decision." Zero dismissed easily. "Now why do you care so much about her?"

"You mean Yuki." Ichiru asked, but came out more like a statement.

Zero gave a shrug of the shoulders.

Ichiru's slight smile grew as he answered. "I think…Yuki…is my destined. I'm going to marry her."

Zero widened his eyes at that. He had not expected that one at all. Ichiru never said such words, or with such…conviction...almost possessive in nature. His twin wasn't like that at all. Just who was this person he was talking to? Zero wondered uneasily.

"Oh?" Zero replied finally, letting none of his inner turmoil show on his face.

His brother's smile grew amused. "I don't expect you'll interfere, right Zero? I'm sure there are others you can get together with."

Unfortunately a vision of Kaname laughing as he laid down in the snow came to Zero. He mentally shook his head. Why did he think of his friend now of all times? Maybe it was because Yuki was involved in the conversation…Of course. That had to be why.

"Not at all, Ichiru. I just hope you won't startle the girl is all." Zero said.

Ichiru nodded to Zero. "Your concern is appreciated, dear brother." He then turned away from Zero to gaze again at Yuki, with a stare that he now recognized as reverent. Just looking at his twin made Zero uneasy for the girl. No one wanted to wake up to a stranger gazing at you like they would kill someone if you'd only ask.

Their mother came into Zero's peripheral vision behind them once more.

"Dinner's ready. You two wash up now. Two minutes." Kanna said smoothly, not expecting any complaint from her sons. She had taught them not to after all.

"What about Yuki, mother?" Ichiru asked, finally taking a moment to turn away from the sleeping girl.

The woman thought about it for a minute, but then gave a gentle smile. "We should let her sleep for now. I'll set an extra plate from dinner if she does wake up…now come on guys. Go and wash." Kanna commanded of her sons.

Ichiru was already up on the stairs when a thought came to Zero. An abrupt thought that he should've thought of much sooner. Before, he was thinking about what Yuki's favorite food might be, or Kaname's for that matter. Then it had clicked in Zero's brain.

If Kaname was a vampire, and Yuki was his sister…didn't it mean that Yuki was a vampire too?

Zero turned his head back to the living room. Were they in danger? But Yuki was a child…and asleep to boot. She couldn't harm them… And Yagari didn't seem worried when he had carried her willingly from the mansion and to the house. No, she was okay. She had to be.

Zero mentally gave out a sigh. At least there was one thing less to worry about when it came to Kaname and Yuki.

"Zero hurry up." Ichiru teased as he passed Zero down the stairs and into the kitchen.

The boy left shook his head and hastened to wash his hands.

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Kaname glanced discreetly at his two bodyguards. Both were wearing nice looking tuxedos and matching blank faces as they escorted him to the Council room. They were, if nothing else noteworthy about them, serious and silent. Common and cliché regulation of their profession, Kaname guessed.

They walked upon the snow-covered earth towards the prestigious building known simply as the 'Gala hall'. This place was the central gathering for fancy parties among aristocratic vampires or used for whenever the Order decided to hold meetings. A meeting was certainly necessary for this day, due to the fact that the ruling vampire family of centuries had, as of hours ago, been decimated.

Kaname wondered angrily if they would shrug off the real reason why the powerful Kuran family fell. It was well known of the tryst between Rido and Kaname's parents. It was not so far-fetched to believe Rido had a hand in their deaths. Kaname knew that the allegiance between his parents and Rido were mixed in the vampire world. The vampires that believed or tolerated the pacifistic views his father practiced were sadly dwindling as each day more and more families were siding with Rido. They were all being deceived by Rido's words of ruling humans, like they were born to do, and were guaranteed a spot in the new regime if they followed him. But Rido didn't care for them, not a single one. He only cared for money and power. This was evidenced enough by his neglect of his alleged wife and son: Kaname's wasted aunt, and silent cousin Shiki Kuran.

Kaname and his guards entered the oak doors and into the spacious dancing hall. However, there were no dancing and the wardrobe consisted strictly of satin black out of respect for the deaths of Haruka and Juuri Kuran. Kaname knew that his sister was a secret to the rest of the world outside their family, so her death was not acknowledged.

'But I do my dear Yuki. I miss you so much.' Kaname said in his mind, as reverently as a prayer.

A handsome blonde-haired couple closest to the trio approached. They looked down at Kaname in sympathy.

"My lord Kaname, we are deeply distressed over your loss. Lord Haruka and Lady Juuri were admirable and died so unexpectedly…But we know you will lead well." The blond-haired and blue-eyed male said with a bow. His wife, who looked eerily like his twin sister, nodded/bowed lowly in turn.

Kaname gave a slight nod of his head. "Thank you. My parents are indebted to your loyalty, and I wish you will show me the same." He spoke serenely, already having prepared what he'd say to the sympathetic condolences of his fellow vampires. He sighed internally, already foreseeing the long night ahead.

The two nodded deeply and turned to depart. However Kaname heard the words in both their minds.

'How did that brat survive? Could it be that the great Rido miscalculated in his attack?' The blonde woman thought angrily in the _un-_privacy of her mind.

'…Nonetheless we shall rid us of this Kaname Kuran. Soon master Rido will rule.' Kaname heard from the ending thoughts of the handsome male.

Kaname thought ironically how the saying 'swimming with the sharks' was never as true as it was now.

After several more rounds of sympathies from various families: three whom he knew were loyal to his parents, and the rest whom were only putting on a farce, the Head of the Order spoke from the front of the room, just in front of the wide-opened marble staircase. The representative did not need a microphone; all vampires were equipped with impeccable hearing.

"Ladies and gentlemen. We are gathered here today to mourn the heavy loss of both Haruka and Juuri Kuran. They have ruled for a joyous, but entirely too short, century..." The orator paused for a heavy beat as an implied moment of silence. All the vampires bowed their heads, like clockwork. Some even muttered, brokenly, the names of Kaname's parents.

"Alas..." the orator continued, as his audience looked up again. "We still have with us, the heir of the Kuran line. He is in this room, Kaname Kuran."

Although Kaname, thankfully, did not have a literal spotlight flooded over him, he could not ignore how all eyes in the room were now trained on him. However he did not glance at any of the faces that he walked past; he resolutely looked toward the front of the room. Thankfully his parents had taught him at a young age on how to properly act in public, or more correctly; the vampire aristocracy. Kaname would've smiled at how he remembered his father would state, after he described what Kaname needed to do, 'despite having any urges to run out of the room screaming'. Kaname certainly wanted to do so now.

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Zero opened his eyes. He looked out in the darkened bedroom he shared with Ichiru, from his laying down position on the queen-sized bed. After a couple seconds of just hearing his brother's deep breathing and saw that nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, Zero wondered why he woke up. They had gone to sleep about two hours ago, after Yagari had left with a curt nod and oddly affectionate ruffling of hair on both Zero's and Ichiru's heads: much to their chagrin.

As a family they had discussed the fate of Yuki and decided that after two days, Yuki will go to an orphanage. Their parents didn't think it was right to have Yuki live with them, when they were the targets of vampires. They felt that it wasn't their say to have Yuki lead a life of vampire-hunting either, so that was out of the question. However much to the pleading of both his mother and Ichiru, it was decided that the girl could stay for a few days. But then she would have to leave to an orphanage a few miles away. His parents were convinced that she would be adopted immediately and would grow up in a nice normal family.

At this Zero grew more anxious. How was he to contact Kaname now, before his sister was shipped off to live with an unknown family? It seemed that the likelihood that he would was increasingly growing more and more against his favor.

Zero sharply turned his head to the front door. He had heard it softly creek open, and because it was a sturdy door that didn't just all of a sudden move on its own, Zero knew something was up.

He almost jumped about ten feet when a hand lightly touched his blanket-covered leg. Zero quickly got over his shock and faced the owner of the hand.

"Oh…it's you." Zero whispered in relief. On the left side of his bed, a bed-headed Yuki stood looking quiet and slightly cautious.

Zero quirked his eyebrow at Yuki's continued silence. "What are you doing up here…Yuki?" he asked.

The girl didn't seem fazed that a total stranger knew her name. She just blinked and a slight frown came over her face.

That was when Zero noticed the trails of tears rolling down Yuki's cherubic cheeks. She was definitely a few years younger than him and Kaname most likely.

"Hey, why are you crying?" Zero asked gently, not noticing that he had sat up and was now wiping away the tear streaks on Yuki's cheeks. Mentally he recoiled. He didn't often touch people if he could help it, especially strangers. That was Hunter Training 101: be wary of your enemy. So of course he wouldn't touch a potential enemy.

But Yuki wasn't his enemy…right?

Zero looked at Yuki and how she gave a slight sniffle. She drew her own hands up to Zero's and clasped them.

'She definitely doesn't come off as a threat.' Zero thought as he enjoyed the feeling of Yuki's delicate and childlike hands surrounding his.

"Did you have a nightmare Yuki?" Zero deduced suddenly. Of course, having been asleep and had undoubtedly gone through a great trauma when she was last awake, must've manifested in her dreams.

Yuki looked up silently, big deep-brown eyes slightly glazed with unshed tears, at Zero. She opened her mouth but no words came forth. She blinked again in frustration, and forced herself to say what was on her mind.

"Br-Brother..." Yuki spoke brokenly with a deep sadness and confusion.

Zero felt so much for this girl at this moment. He wanted to pull her into a hug and never let go. Yet, Zero was surprised to find that he already had the girl in his arms.

He made to put distance between them, but it appeared that Yuki liked the hug and didn't want to leave. She clenched her tiny fists onto Zero's night shirt and buried her head into his chest. Thankfully Zero found this slightly ackward and was not feeling uncharacteristically warm and fuzzy as he did a couple minutes ago.

"Uh, would you like to sleep with us Yuki?" Zero asked, not knowing for sure how he would get this young girl, now hugging _him_, off.

It seemed that Zero had said the magic words. Yuki dropped her arms, and promptly crawled onto the bed. Her movements could be felt by the other occupants of the bed, and Zero watched as his brother beside him roll over with a slight groan of protest. He was completely knocked out apparently, if he could sleep through this much activity.

Luckily Ichiru's repositioning left an open space for Yuki in-between the two twin brothers. She gave a pleased smile and then dropped down onto the bed. Yuki squirmed a bit to get comfortable and to pull the blanket over her torso, until at last she was content.

Zero looked on, amused, as she gave a smile to Zero and then turned over to face Ichiru, and then after a slight pause, she encircled her arms around him. Apparently Yuki dubbed Ichiru as her own, over-sized, teddy bear.

Zero laid awake for a couple of minutes, after which Yuki had quickly fallen asleep with a deep-in-sleep Ichiru who still had no idea what was going on or who's arms were encircling him, to gaze out the window closest to his face.

He looked down onto the snow-covered ground and gave a wistful sigh. How long would it be until the snow melted away and it would be spring? Probably a few months anyway…that was when he would be enrolling into the Hunter Academy and Ichiru would be going to a normal elementary school. Things were definitely beginning to change, not to mention the new chaos that had awakened when he met Kaname…

'I wonder how he's doing…' Zero thought sleepily, his eyes already drooping. However in his waning vision, he saw a distorted image of his dad leaving the old weather shelter at the back of the house.

'That's weird…'Zero deduced before he gave a yawn and fell into oblivion.

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**Chapter End!**

Yay; chapter 3 is complete! Next chapter I plan to put some action in here. (I'm afraid it's not _romantic _action…hmm…well there might be a little something in that department. -wink-)

But anyways, what did you guys think? Was it good? Bad? Boring? Can't wait for the next chapter and wish I'd hurry the dang up in posting new ones?? Ha ha.

Thank you so much for checking this story out: I hope you're enjoying yourself so far!

Oh and Please review! It's an author's encouragement _and_ fuel!

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